[cobirds] Poudre River south of Prospect, Fort Collins (Larimer) on 6/27/12

I took a stroll over what used to be one of my regular circuits along the Poudre River in Fort Collins south of Prospect down to the Environmental Learning Center.  Here are the highlights:

 

*Red-eyed Vireo (1 persistently singing male), mostly in the dense woods n of the bike trail nw of the Water Treatment Plant.  This species has been in this particular patch of cottonwoods overtopping a fairly dense understory of snowberry, etc. in summer's past.  Even though the City's Stormwater Department keeps trying to dumb it down, this area persists as special.

 

*Broad-winged Hawk (1a), shown to me by upset robins and jays in the same woods as above, a shock to see given the date, later seen circling fairly high and working southward toward the Water Treatment Plant.

 

Other "quality" passerines included:

Lazuli Bunting (at least two singing males)

Western Wood-Pewee (at least 3)

Bullock's Oriole (1f)

Yellow Warbler (at least 3 males)

Warbling Vireo (1 "midwestern")

Eastern Kingbird (1)

 

[no American Redstarts or Least Flycatchers, which have nested in the vireo-hawk woods mentioned above]

 

Interesting waterbirds included:

Wood Duck (female with just 1 baby in tow)

"White-cheeked" Goose (I would wager it was a Cackling, only seen flying, sounded right, hanging out in the Sharp Point cow yard with Canadas).  Are there any records of Cackling breeding or at least summering in CO?  I seem to recall Mr. Mlodinow reporting Cackling out of season a time or two.

 

[no Green Heron, but they could be in the area]

 

Total of 42 species

 

Dave Leatherman

Fort Collins